Alamo river walk: How San Antonio turned its neglected riverside into a major attraction

The River Walk in San Antonio.m

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - Standing on a balcony overlooking the city’s famed River Walk, watching a red and blue flat-bottomed barge navigate a bend in the waterway, I could hear the gentle lilting strains of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah wafting up from the river.

Brightly colored umbrellas dotted the walkway next to the water, protecting restaurant patrons from the afternoon sun. Ducks swam along, hoping for some crumbs from passersby.

In an instant, all my preconceptions of Texas, flew out the window.

San Antonio’s River Walk is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in Texas and one reason the city boasts 28 million visitors a year. However, San Antonio’s love affair with the river that runs through the heart of the city was born in tragedy.

Long prone to flooding, in 1921 the area around San Antonio was suddenly hit by a torrential rainstorm which sent a flash flood towards the city. Within hours, San Antonio was under as much as 10 feet of water. Half the city was destroyed. Fifty-one people died.

Desperate to prevent future floods, the city considered paving over part of the waterway and turning it into a concrete storm sewer.

Architect Robert Hugman proposed an alternative – develop the river, complete with flood control systems, and turn it into a tourist attraction.

Construction of Hugman’s vision on the original stretch of the river walk finally began in 1939 and was completed in 1941. However, it initially failed to attract large numbers of people. By the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the River Walk had become a magnet for crime and gangs.

However, in the mid-1960’s, in preparation for the HemisFair world’s fair it hosted in 1968, San Antonio began to crack down on the criminals hanging around the River Walk and began developing it again.

The River Walk now stretches 21 km. The newest additions are the Museum Reach, dotted with public artwork, which extends to the Pearl Brewery complex. The Mission Reach, officially opened in October, stretches to San Antonio’s historic Spanish missions.

But it is the horseshoe section of the River Walk that is the beating heart of the city. While the city streets above are quiet – at times almost deserted, the downtown section of the River Walk is teeming with people.

Couples and families stroll along its beautifully landscaped paths and bridges, stopping to browse in one of the many stores or check out the restaurants like Casa Rio, one of the first restaurants on the River Walk, or Boudro’s with its signature guacamole and its prickly pear margaritas.

In many cases, stores and restaurants span two levels with one entrance on the River Walk and the other on the street above.

Colorful red and blue flat-bottomed barges ply the waters of the River Walk while guides recount the city’s history, pointing out spots that have been served as backdrops in movies or tiny Marriage Island where 300 couples tie the knot each year, lured by the legend it will bring wealth and happiness.

River Walk organizers also stage celebrations along the waterway. For Christmas the River Walk is ablaze with holiday lights. For St. Patrick’s Day, they turn the river green.

Don’t be surprised if you encounter Mexican mariachi bands during a stroll along the River Walk. San Antonio has had a strong Mexican influence from the start and it is present to this day, particularly in areas such the El Mercado marketplace or La Villita, a quiet arts and crafts area that comes alive in April during San Antonio’s 11-day long fiesta.

Some of the first inhabitants of San Antonio were Spanish missionaries and the most famous mission – the Alamo – was the site of the pivotal 1836 battle that pitted 1,500 Mexican troops under General Antonio López de Santa Anna against fewer than 200 valiant Texians and Tejanos including the legendary James Bowie, William B. Travis and Davy Crockett.

The site where the massacre of the Alamo’s defenders fuelled the Texas revolution for independence from Mexico and the phrase “Remember the Alamo,” has been restored and is open to the public for free.

There are three ways to tour the Alamo – wander around on your own, rent an audio tour for $7 or pay $15 for a guided tour. However, the guided tour largely repeats much of the self-guided and audio tours. One feature of the guided tour is access to the History Shop across the street, which features a diorama narrated by musician Phil Collins. Collins is such a big Alamo fan that he sponsored an archaeological dig on the site in 2007 and wrote a book about the Alamo in 2012.

You can also view the History Shop’s diorama separately for a $5 admission fee.

Down the street from the Alamo, the Menger Hotel, built in 1859, bills itself as the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi. But it is its bar, modeled on a pub in the British House of Lords, that played a key role in American history. It was there that former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt recruited members of the Rough Riders in 1898, famous for their charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.

Walking through the doors of the Menger Bar is almost like walking back in time. Sitting at the carved wood bar, you can almost imagine Roosevelt holding court at one of the tables, although nobody seems to agree on which one was his favorite. Texas Cavalry artifacts are displayed in a glass case and the walls are filled with memorabilia.

Walking into Paris Hatters, is another trip back in time. In business since 1917, it has provided custom cowboy hats and headwear to presidents, pop stars and a pope. It also has a good selection of luxury Lucchese boots, made in San Antonio.

Downtown San Antonio is a very walkable area but walking isn’t the only option. Horse drawn carriages decorated with flowers take visitors past many of the city’s key landmarks. Trolley tours allow passengers to hop on and off at various points around the city.

Off the beaten path but worth the trip is the tree-lined King William district with its elegant Victorian mansions, many of them built by German immigrants and Southtown, a neighborhood which draws an artistic crowd.

By day, the Alamo Street Eat Bar could be mistaken for an abandoned parking lot.

After 5 p.m., however, it comes alive as the bar opens and food trucks set up shop. One of the most unique is the Institute of Chili’s which features specialties like Beer Can Chicken Tacos and The Bomb, a culinary concoction that would make a cardiologist cringe - pulled pork, chili, cheese and a fried egg on a bun.

After that, it’s time for another long walk along the river.

If you go:

Air Canada flies to San Antonio via a code share agreement with United Airlines. WestJet has a code share agreement with American Airlines but San Antonio is currently a seasonal destination. WestJet flights to San Antonio are set to resume April 27, 2014.

Most major hotel chains have properties in San Antonio, many of them right on the River Walk. Bed and breakfasts in elegant Victorian mansions in the King William district are a nice, often less expensive, alternative and an easy walk to downtown…

The downtown horseshoe section of the river walk is often drained for a week in early January to allow a clean up. The dates for 2014 are Jan. 5-10.

The best restaurants along the River Walk are very popular. Reservations are highly recommended.

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